June 25-June 28, 1997
San Francisco, California
COUNCIL ON LIBRARY/MEDIA TECHNICIANS
June 25-June 28, 1997
San Francisco, California
CONFERENCE REPORTS
by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College
4-D POWER NETWORKING FOR LIBRARY PARAPROFESSIONALS
How to Get Ahead Without Stepping on Too Many Toes
GENERAL REPORT
It's been a month since the 30th Annual COLT Conference in San Francisco, time enough to gather up some notes and to receive reports on some of the programs from our members. Individual reports on the various programs follow. So here's a rundown on the informal part of the conference, the extra-curricular part, from one person's point of view. (Which was more fun in high school, working on the yearbook or going to algebra class-and which do you remember better?)
The first evening of the conference everyone was invited to a reception with tasty hors d'oeuvres, soft drinks, and a cash bar. This was a pleasant time to meet new friends or to greet those you'd met at earlier conferences or on the Internet. Among the topics I heard discussed were concern about outsourcing and downsizing, discussion of staffing and training for shelf management, questions about the impact of electronic access on circulation, and exchange of information about good restaurants in San Francisco.
Each morning during the registration period before the program, pastries and coffee or tea were available. You know this was a good library group: none of the pastries was ever left over. This was another chance for people to talk together about the conference programs and their work in their various libraries. Lunches provided yet more chances for conference attendees to discuss issues with their counterparts from other libraries. Whether your library is large and academic or small and public, in Florida, Massachusetts, or British Columbia, the problems and the possible solutions seem to be similar. I wonder what others would think of having the lunch tables labeled for Acquisitions, Cataloging, Interlibrary Loan, Circulation, and the like, making it easier to find others in your special area who would have good ideas to share.
The Banquet itself was a buffet with several wonderful salads, choices of chicken, beef, and vegetables, and a delightful selection of delicious desserts. After the meal everyone a chance to thank all the members who had worked very hard to plan the conference and make it a success as they received awards from Mim Gaines, the conference chair.
COLT presented plaques to Walter Nickeson and Martha Parsons, webmasters of the Library Support Staff Resource Center, recognizing their assistance to COLT and our new homepage. This was the first time the two actually had met face to face, even though they've worked together on the webpage for several years. Raymond Roney, publisher of _Library Mosaics_, presented the two annual awards. The 1997 Support Staff of the Year Award went to Dorothy Morgan, Liverpool Public Library, who is the COLT Northeast Regional Director, and the 1997 Supporter of Support Staff of the Year to Dale Montgomery, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Each made a gracious acceptance statement.
San Francisco really offers every visitor so much to do and see that it is hard to make choices. With Fisherman's Wharf just two blocks away everyone was able to go there to watch people, taste chocolate, buy tee shirts, or eat seafood. The cable car turn-around was always full of people getting tickets or just watching. And in the next block a movie of some kind was shooting on an outdoor circus midway set. Some members took the boat tour to Alcatraz and visited the old prison.
The big excursion for many at the conference was "Phantom of the Opera." Two buses picked us up at the hotel and took us up and down hills to the city center and got us to the theater ten minutes before curtain time. The climb to the top of the theater rewarded us with a bird's-eye view of the performance. The music as wonderful, and the group all seemed to enjoy the spectacle. After the show the buses gave us another scenic ride through the city back to the hotel to prepare for the full day of conference programs still ahead of us.
Saturday the ALA exhibits were open in big Mascone Convention Center. Three of our members, Annamarie Erickson, Jeanne Fanning, and Barry Harvey, helped staff the ALA affiliates' booth that contained the COLT display. The exhibits and other support staff activities connected with the ALA meetings attracted some of the COLT members. Many enjoyed seeing the new San Francisco Public Library that was open for special tours. COLT members joined the Support Organization Round Table (SORT) in celebrating its 60th anniversary at a Chinese buffet.
If you are wishing that you'd attended the conference, start planning now for next year. (It's not too soon to make sure your boss knows you are interested and need a spot in the budget.) In 1998 we meet in Washington, D.C., one of the few cities that can offer as much to see and do as San Francisco does. The programs will be presented on June 25 and 26, with the reception on June 24 and the ALA exhibits opening on June 27. The Washington Marriott Hotel, actually in Georgetown, is the conference hotel. You'll be hearing more about this in the coming months. It promises to be another terrific conference.
KEYNOTE SPEECH
"Communication for Consenting Adults: How to Successfully Play the Networking Game"
Pat Wagner, co-owner of Pattern Research, Denver, CO
(reported by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College)
Ms. Wagner is a tall, friendly woman with a dramatic flair and down-to-earth, workable messages. The large audience received her keynote speech enthusiastically. Her entertaining stories illustrated her points exactly. She reminded us that we are all consenting adults: we are responsible for our choices; regardless of what else happens or where we are, we all make our own choices. "Networking is choosing to be useful to others and choosing to let others be useful to you; it is not caretaking." She warned against being concerned with status. Work on building relationships using transactions. "If you have no influence, reach out and offer to help, even on the most elementary level, treating everyone with respect and courtesy, especially the one who treats you badly. Don't reject the help of others. Never undervalue what you know."
Pat Wagner's Five Rules of Networking:
1. Be Useful to others on their terms and allow them to be useful to you.
2. Don't Be Boring. Abstain from loading others down with too much data, from exploiting them,
and from not letting them be useful to you.
3. Listen. Think about what the other person is saying, not what you are going to say. Seek out
people with whom you don't agree; listen to them.
4. Ask Questions and plan to be surprised by the answer.
5. Play the Wild Card! The least likely person can have the answer to your question and you can
be useful to the least likely person."
BANQUET SPEECH
"Books Are Dead. Libraries Are Dead. Library Technicians Are Dead.... and Other
Popular Fallacies."
Robert Skapura, Director of Library and Learning Resources at Los Medanos Community
College
(reported by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College)
Librarian Robert Skapura, gave an entertaining but thought-provoking talk--complete with an illustrated bibliography--titled "Books Are Dead. Libraries Are Dead. Library Technicians Are Dead.... and Other Popular Fallacies." He included books as varied as the novel _ The Name of the Rose_ and the software manual _Word 6 for Macs for Dummies_ to develop his theme that presenting information in a meaningful way to people is both difficult and important.
We've all heard that information is doubling every few years, but this is not really true. It is data, isolated facts, that grow very rapidly; information, based on organized data, grows too, but needs to be interpreted; knowledge, based on interpreted information, grows only slowly; wisdom, based on people using knowledge, may grow very little. Computers increase access, but computer searches only give the illusion that one has thought about the problem. To be successful the searcher must bring context and logic to the search. How information is presented to people is very important if it is to improve knowledge and help people attain wisdom.
Mr. Skapura drew on his background as a librarian at all levels of education from elementary
through secondary to college for examples of searching for information. He read selections from
over a dozen assorted books to the delight of his audience, certainly influencing many to read
some of them more completely.
PROGRAM REPORTS
Netiquette, Tips for Communicating on the Internet"
Gene Kinnaly, Library of Congress
(reported by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College)
"Netiquette, Tips for Communicating on the Internet," presented by COLT's secretary Gene Kinnaly, attracted one of the largest audiences of the conference. The program and his folder of handouts expanded upon his recent _Library Mosaics_ article on the subject.
"The use of the network is a privilege, not a right. Never send or keep anything that you would not mind seeing on the evening news," Gene counseled. When you subscribe to a listserv, just lurk (read only) for several weeks in order to get an idea of what kinds of questions are being asked and what sorts of topics are considered appropriate. When you do post a message, be sure you follow the listowner's guidelines. He shared many comments he received from subscribers to the Libsup-L listserv. Members of the audience also contributed suggestions from their own experience. "Include your email address with your signature" and "use a meaningful subject line," seem to be reminders all agree upon. When you receive your subscription confirmation letter, be sure you save it; this contains the answers to all your questions about postponing mail or even unsubscribing! Normally it is best to type in normally mixed-case letters; all capitals is usually considered shouting and all lower case is hard for most people to read. However, since there are instances where problems with vision or equipment makes all-capitals necessary, remember to approach such situations with respectful care. Hardware and software vary from site to site. To get information about how to use your email most effectively, check with your local computer gurus. Don't assume that everyone else's email works or looks like yours.
"TQM Meetings and You"
Eileen Clark, Honeywell, Corp.
(reported by Carol Romano, University of Missouri--Columbia)
Success in meetings means work beforehand. There should be a thoughtful agenda that addresses why the meeting is being called, why this group of people is being called, and what the meeting is to accomplish. The process of forming the agenda should include 1) what is to be done; the desired outcome, 2) who needs to be there and why (allowing for people to leave if their contribution is completed). 3) the "type" of meeting: short or long, standing or spontaneous, 4) the tools available for decisions (any report or other briefing material, flip charts, or other material), and 5) a review of preceding meetings, if necessary (checking for unfinished business and unexpected reports).
The object of the meeting process is to bring consensus to the group. Consensus means 100% support and agreement, members must be polled often to make sure all views are heard and reviewed. Building consensus requires full and forthright discussion, all opinions are voiced and all members respect the "feelings" of other members so that the decision is not undermined or clouded by emotions.
Brainstorming is the best method for a meeting that will require creativity from the members. There are three basic types of brainstorming: 1) a freewheeling discussion with one member jotting ideas on flip charts, 2) round robin, in which each member is asked openly to contribute, and 3) note cards, where the members jot ideas down on cards that are then collected and organized by the group into like ideas. The rules for brainstorming sessions are 1) more is better, the more ideas the better the result will be, 2) no judgments, which will allow a broader spectrum of ideas, 3) no discussion, discussion should be held until the brainstorming is over and planning or a decision making process is begun, and 4) hitchhiking or piggybacking is allowed; this encourages members to use others' ideas to inspire their ideas.
After brainstorming, a list of ideas can be gathered and the process of reduction can begin. Ideas can be combined into natural groupings, and pros and cons can be discussed. Nothing should be dismissed out of hand. If there are criteria for the decision, all ideas should be checked against this list.
All meetings should have a "start, heart, and depart" process. A "start" should include a moment to make sure all members are ready, alert, and on track. The "heart" of the meeting is the process of ideating, discussion, and decision. The "depart" section is a review of the agenda to make sure all items have been covered; that the decision or plan has reached a consensus and that all members are in accord.
"A Profession for Us All"
Ed Martinez, El Camino College and Linda Slusar, College of DuPage
(reported by Beverly Butler, McGeorge School of Law)
One of the most entertaining presentations I attended at the COLT conference in San Francisco was "A Profession for Us All," presented by Ed Martinez and Linda Slusar. Ed, from El Camino College in Torrance, California, is better known to us all as the editor of _Library Mosaics_ magazine. Linda, from College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is familiar to us from the "Soaring to Excellence" teleconferences. Singing a re-worked version of "Those Were the Days," Ed and Linda began with slides of the way libraries used to be, complete with manual typewriters and huge card catalogs. Then as they began to speak, Ed's phone "rang" and the duo re-enacted an actual call received from a library support staff individual. After 3 more calls, it was clear that tasks being transferred to support staff from MLS librarians are causing a great deal of stress in the library workplace.
With the aid of worksheets, discussion groups, and general audience participation, it became clear that while some tasks are considered strictly MLS tasks in some libraries, in others they are now being put in the hands of support staff. In a few libraries, some "MLS" tasks have always been in the hands of support staff. The changes produce varying levels of stress in the work environments.
In conclusion, each individual was asked to write down the reason he/she became involved in library work. As we shared our answers, the pattern became clear: most of us work in libraries because we love helping people find the answers they seek; we love taking all the information and resources and organizing them into accessible tools for others. As the information explosion continues both in print and on-line, we need to keep our focus on the reason we all came to love this work. It helps in putting all the stress in perspective.
"Seeing the Elephant for a Second Time: The Books of the California Gold Rush"
Gary Kurutz, California State Library
(reported by Mary Jo Gohlke, University of the Pacific Library)
Never mind that the subject is 150 years old, and he was trying to dredge up records by the score in libraries from one end of the country to the other. Floods and budget cuts, earthquakes and book thieves, even that pesky asbestos hampered Gary Kurutz' research when he set out to compile "Seeing the Elephant for a Second Time: The Books of the California Gold Rush."
All the adventure, ironically found in modern libraries, was "a challenge and a pleasure," the librarian assured intrigued participants at the 30th Annual COLT Conference in San Francisco. Kurutz' look at the days when San Francisco was a "sandy, flea-infested village" was a change in pace for the "4-D Power Networking"-themed conference, and participants oohed at the news of a rain-induced gold flood in Sonora and aahed when told of a Downieville hotelier who found $500 lumps of gold in the kitchen.
Kurutz is an expert on the California Gold Rush. He is editor of the California Sate Library Foundation Bulletin and has written numerous books and articles. He is currently principal librarian of the Special Collection Branch, California State Library, Sacramento. With such credentials, should library research work be very difficult? Wouldn't other librarians throw the doors wide in welcome? Not exactly, he noted ruefully. "It's hard to get access to libraries," he sighed. Budget cuts curtailed hours at some; a flood disrupted service at another, as did the Southern California earthquake. Libraries changed locations and asbestos eradication also made access difficult. As Kurutz was flying in for short periods to visit such collections as those at Yale University and in Chicago and in Victoria, B.C., being told to back next week was often a problem when the ticket home was stamped the day after tomorrow. And then there was the bane of every browser's existence: where is the card catalog? The books Kurutz was seeking didn't lend themselves to electronic access. (In one library, he had to hunt down a specialized card catalog.) Even a book thief came into play when, at Claremont College, he found tight security and a book whose pages had been stolen by the notorious Stephen C. Blumberg, referred to in one library magazine as "library thief extraordinaire."
What Kurutz ended up with is a massive bibliographic record of those heady days when people from all over the world came to see the elephant--an expression in 1840s through 1870s that meant to see the last important act in the circus: the elephant show. "It came to mean coming to California, and going back to tell of the experience," Kurutz explains. His book will be a welcome scholarly addition to the festivities surrounding the upcoming sesquicentennial anniversary of the Gold Rush. A slimmer volume by Carl I .Wheat, "Books of the California Gold Rush," came out to honor the centennial.
Amazingly, says Kurutz, Gold Rush books are still being published; two eyewitness accounts were published last year. The tomes are rare, engaging, and unusual, the author found. One detailed the diaries of numerous passengers on board a ship headed to the gold country. Another told of a hapless woman who encountered several ship transfers and three fires, leading to Kurutz' advice: "Don't go on coal-laden ships." One account mentioned a man whose wife washed his laundry and "panned" $23,000 in gold dust. And then there was Dolly Bates of Downieville, she of the $500 lumps of gold found in the hotel kitchen. There was "land scurvy" to be dealt with (one victim recovered after being left for dead in an onion patch), sand fleas, and rats (called by one author "the principal livestock of San Francisco"). But something always came along to cheer the newcomers: for one, a rainstorm in Sonora that washed out a mini-Gold Rush in spilled gold.
"Until There Is a National Certification: Intermediary Steps"
Dorothy Morgan, Liverpool Public Library
(reported by Gerry Edwards, Northville District Library)
The steps taken by the New York State Library Assistants' Association (NYSLAA) should act as stepping stones or a catalyst in the development of a national certification plan. Ms. Morgan explained the steps taken in developing the plan and how it received endorsement and approval from the library community. She categorized these steps as History, Implementation, and Selling the Program. The History demonstrated the focus and commitment of NYSLAA; certification had been talked about since their first conference in the 1970s. A membership survey was taken in 1992, and at their annual conference in 1993 a majority of library assistants agreed that a certification program should be developed. A committee was formed and, after researching Utah's "Certificate of Achievement Program," it was decided to use that program as a model for New York.
Implementation of the program was the next step. This involved forming focus groups to get input from the staff and administration of many libraries. During 1993 and 1994 many letters were written asking to visit libraries and discuss certification. Their responses were then analyzed and a test project was formed in 1994. A two-year pilot program was implemented in 1995, with the first eight applicants receiving their certificates at the 1995 annual conference.
The final step of Selling the Program involved marketing to get endorsement and approval. An agenda was agreed upon and the program was presented to the library community. It was important to state the purpose of the program, stressing its intent to recognize involvement and achievement. The benefits of the program are many: for example, improved performance and qualifications of members. Many goals, such as increased visibility and enhancement of prestige, were achieved. Review board member Jacalyn Spoon spoke briefly, expressing the importance of looking back at all the hard work that had been done over the years and hoping that the presentation gave attendees some ideas for developing a program like NYSLAA's.
In conclusion, Ms Morgan explained that copies of the program guidelines are available from NYSLAA for a small cost. Addresses for web sites were given: NYSLAA : http://www.lpl.org/nyslaa/nyslaa.html and CERTIFICATION: http://www.lpl.org/nyslaa/certificat.html
Her final words of encouragement are "Just do it. It's worth it."
"Been There, Done That ... Now What's Next?"
Jane Groosman, Cancer Library and Health Resource Center
(reported by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College)
Jane Groosman told her own story as an example in the presentation she called "Been There, Done That ... Now What's Next?" She has worked in medical libraries for many years and has been president of the Northern California/Nevada Medical Library Group. About twenty years ago she began her library career volunteering to shelve books and worked as a library assistant before going on with her master's degree. She feels fortunate to have found a mentor, now a consulting librarian in her present library, who gave her guidance in her days as a "common-law librarian." The audience participated fully, asking questions and offering observations from their own experiences. Ms. Groosman, a well-prepared and flexible speaker, answered questions and incorporated the interests of the group in her talk.
Ms. Groosman says she never regrets her decision to invest in further education. "Graduate school helped put all the pieces together; not a waste of effort, but a valuable experience." Now, as the only librarian at the Cancer Library and Health Resource Center, she says that MLS degree helped to "maximize opportunities."
"The Invisible Network: Storytelling, the Oral Tradition"
Mary Lynne McGrath, presenter
(reported by Denise Halliday, Anchorage Municipal Library)
Ms McGrath began her session by telling participants about her upbringing in an Irish family. Both of her grandmothers were strong influences in her life, and passed on the love and gift of storytelling to her. In illustrating the power of words, she told us of two descriptions given to her of her grandmothers, "That woman has a tongue that could clip a hedge," and, "The milk of kindness flows through that woman's veins," and then asked us which of the two had passed the most storytelling wisdom on to her.
Mary Lynne passed out storytelling handouts including, "Picture Yourself Storytelling...," "How To Tell Your Story: Techniques To Keep in Mind," and "How To Learn Your Story." These handouts include storytelling information that supplements the storytelling tips that she shared with us in her workshop.
The medium of storytelling has been neglected in recent generations, but is currently undergoing a renaissance. This began in the mid-seventies when the Smithsonian put out the plea to folk storytellers, specifically in the Appalachia area, to not let this art die. Since then, the community of Jonesborough, Tennessee, has become the hotbed of storytelling. There are now numerous storytelling groups and festivals around the U.S. Mary Lynne suggests that people who are interested in storytelling attend these festivals to familiarize themselves with stories, techniques, and the presentations.
Among suggestions made during the workshop are these. Tell stories rather than read them, as books are a barrier between the storytellers and the listeners' eyes. Ask immigrant kids to have parents record stories from their cultures. In unconscious ways we are all shaped by family stories. As a storyteller, you can discover your own treasure of your personal ethnic heritage. Storytelling communicates more than words, it permits you to provide whole body communication. One of the best ways to find stories is in the 398.2 section of library collections. There are also storytelling videos that provide great visuals to go along with the stories as you learn them.
Mary Lynne passed out copies of the folk tale, "The Tailor." We worked in teams of two, creating our own short stories and telling them to our partners. It was a quick, impromptu skill builder that proved to be more fun than work.
Mary Lynn McGrath is a positive, energetic motivational storyteller. Her warmth and enthusiasm are effusive, and I left this workshop with the feeling that I had just met a life-long friend who is in exactly the right profession.
"Supervising Student Assistants"
Melissa Trujillo, California State University--Sacramento and Don Waters, Oakland Public Libraries
(reported by Joyce Nielsen, Hope College)
Melissa Trujillo, California State University--Sacramento, (CSUS) and Don Waters, Oakland Public Libraries together presented "Supervising Student Assistants." They covered this important topic from both the academic and public library perspectives. Their examples were drawn from public service areas of the library, but certainly the basic ideas of careful recruiting, training, motivation, and feedback are important in any area of the library.
The supervisor is the direct link between the administration and the processes of the library. The supervisor must know the library mission, its policy, the procedures to use, and the technical skills to use the new technologies. Leadership and communication skills are very important. "Common mistakes include over controlling, under controlling, one-way communication, half-way delegation, and not learning from mistakes," cautioned Ms. Trujillo.
Training can't be overemphasized. "Students need to understand why tasks are done, how they help the library perform its mission," Ms. Trujillo pointed out. "You need to consider the different learning styles." The many training handouts and student job descriptions from CSUS are especially practical aids to anyone who must train and supervise students in an academic library.
Mr. Waters discussed using secondary school students in the successful Oakland Public after school mentoring program. He too stressed the need for motivation and training. "This is also an excellent way to recruit new workers into library work," he said.
"Positioning Yourself in the Virtual Library"Annamarie Erickson, Chicago Library System
(reported by Julia D. Ree, University of California at Riverside)
Annamarie Erickson spoke on the Virtual library and are you where you want to be? Her discussion focused on positioning and your value potential as we go forward with the technological explosion that continues to take place. She cautioned to keep up and keep moving forward in your job. A good way to position yourself is to make the time to keep up with the current literature for the profession. Although computers will never completely erase the need or desire for printed materials, libraries are changing, rapidly and radically. You cannot wait until "they" send you to school. If you are serious about this library work...if this is your profession, and your career, you must take the initiative. You are responsible for your future.
"If You Talk the Talk, Then You Have to Walk the Walk."
Jim Hill, Denver, Colorado
(reported by Julia D. Ree, University of California at Riverside)
Jim Hill, a paraprofessional from Denver, Colorado, spoke on the topic: "If you talk the talk, then you've got to walk the walk." In many instances across the country, support staff are only willing to attend conferences, workshops or higher education courses if their work pays for it. Hill's presentation was a wake-up call that we need to take responsibility for our lives and quit blaming others. You have to be willing to use your own time and money. Our lives are fuller because we take the opportunity to attend workshops and conferences. And, by taking these opportunities, we bring back information and knowledge, which, in turn, makes our bosses look good. We are important to the running of the library. The public doesn't care whether or not we have a master's degree, they just want service, and information. They want to be helped. Lastly, Hill cautioned: Don't feel entitled to anything that you don't work hard for, don't give up and remember, you are never alone.
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